A collection of humorous, touching, and always thought provoking articles from various sources.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

The Tau Cross

The Tau Cross is
also called the Cross of Tau, the Franciscan Tau Cross, the Cross of St.
Francis, and the Cross of St. Anthony.The symbolism of the cross was connected not
only to the letter Chi, but also to the Tau, the equivalent of the last letter
in the Phoenician and old Hebrew alphabets, and which was originally cruciform
in shape.It is pronounced taw and predates
the cross of the crucifixion, so for this reason it is also known as the Old
Testament cross.

According to
studies by Damien Vorreaux, the mystique of the Tau was not the product of a
spontaneous germination in the mind of Francis; it was based on a solid
acquisition of tradition. In the 3rd century, St. Anthony, the Egyptian hermit
who is considered the father of monasticism, carried a Tau cross, and one of
his religious communities was active in Assisi
during St. Francis’s time. This is likely where he first encountered the Tau
Cross.

Pope Innocent
III opened the Fourth Lateran Council on November 11, 1215 with an admirable
and eloquent sermon which immediately aroused universal interest. As a theme he
took the following words of Christ: “I have desired with a great desire to eat
this Pasch with you.” (Lk. 22:15). He then recalled that the Pasch means
Passover and he expressed his hope that the Council would be a Passover, a New
Passover. After depicting the profanation of the Holy Places by the Saracens,
Innocent deplored the scandals dishonoring Christ’s flock, threatening it with
God’s punishments if it did not reform. He also gave a commentary to the
Council members on Chapter 9 of Ezekiel. He made his own the words of God to
his prophet: “Pass through the center of the city and mark with a Tau the
foreheads of the men who weep and wail because of all the abominations which
are committed there.” The Church was in a bad state during this period of
history. Innocent pointed out that the Tau is the last letter of the Hebrew
alphabet and its form traces a cross like the one which was presented before
attaching Pilate’s placard. The Tau was to be the sign borne on one’s forehead that
would manifest the radiance of the cross in all of one’s conduct.

Some writers
believe that the Council persuaded Francis to play a role in the reform of the
Church. Francis understood the discourse of Innocent III to be addressed to him
personally. The fact is that the Tau, which the Pope made the emblem of the
reform, became Francis’ own blazon. He used it as a signature, painted it on
his door, and placed it on his writings. The Pope had said: “Mercy will be
granted to those who bear the Tau, a mark of life of penance and renewal in the
Church.” So Francis wanted to sign himself with the Tau and his brothers along
with him. The Tau colored Francis’ entire spirituality, which from 1215 on,
became the spirituality of the cross and salvation.

The Tau of
penance was a favorite theme of Francis’ preaching because he considered
himself enlisted by the Pope for this crusade. Francis was very aware that the
Tau was the sign of conquerors, and after having preached it, he reproduced it
even in his own flesh through the Stigmata. He knew that it would radiate the
joy of the cross. The Tau for Francis:

·Represented the universality of salvation

·Symbolized permanent conversion and total
disappropriation

·Marked one as poor

·Called one to the mission of service to others

·Was the sign of the goodness and love of God

·Became the title of glory

·Became the source of his perfect joy

Because of this,
the Tau Cross became associated with the Franciscan Order. It was and still is
adopted and worn by many of his followers, whether part of the religious order
or secular. Even for those unfamiliar with the details of St. Francis’s life,
the Franciscan Order is what comes to mind when most people see the Tau Cross.